Parental Leave in the United States The Unites States is severely lagging behind the rest of the world. Even though it is one of the richest countries, it is one of the only countries to not guarantee some sort of paid parental leave. Some businesses do offer parental leave but many do not because it is not mandatory. It is a large issue in our country today that many families are dealing with. Children are our future and they need to be taken well care of and no one can do that better than their own parents. New parents need to be home with their newborn children for various reasons. Many people do not understand the positive impact paid parental leave can have on the economy. Many people think it comes at a huge price, but the truth is, it could actually be an economic boost. Also, the United States needs parental leave to stop gender discrimination. There are arguments on whether or not men deserve time off and Americans need to stop this notion that mothers are not the only caregivers. Making sure newborns have enough time with their parents is essential for their heath. Longer leave can mean healthier families. These are just a few reasons of the importance of parental leave amongst the many. Parents should be guaranteed paid leave in the United States to help the economy, stop …show more content…
Guaranteeing paid parental leave has numerous benefits. It would be able to help the economy prosper more and help set up the future. Paid parental leave would also be a step forward to stopping gender discrimination, especially in the workplace and in homes. Last but not least, it would help families have the opportunities to make sure their children are kept healthy. The parents would also have more chances at a healthier life. It is time to take a stand and join the rest of the world. America needs to step up to the plate and guarantee working families paid parental
Ray et al. Parental Leave Policies in 2 Countries – Assessing Generosity and Gender Equality. Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Overall the Family and Medical Leave Act has raised many issues on whether leave should be encourage and/or paid for by the employers. As of today, no haven policy has been enacted to tackle the challenges surrounding this issue, but positive steps have been taken and one day there will be no question that hard working employees will get the rights they
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed in 1993 and allows employees to take unpaid leave for up to 12 workweeks in any 12 month period because of any of the following reasons: the birth or adoption of a child, for the care of a family member with a serious health condition, or because the employee’s own serious health conditions makes the employee unable to perform the functions of her or her job. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages to both the employer and the employee concerning this act. The current use of FMLA and management concerns over the FMLA will also be discussed.
Paid maternity leave can increase female labor force participation by making it easier for women
Our nation has a lot of problems that we need to get lined out to become better as a whole, paid family leave being one of them. Some people will say that paid family leave is bad for business, but recent studies of the three states that are currently offering paid leave,” California, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- New York's plan goes into effect in 2018 -- found that a majority of companies experienced positive or neutral effects on productivity.” While it may not be entirely positive, it’s not negative which is a step in the right direction. Other say that it would be hard to keep women in the workforce, therefore, messing up gender equality, but Schulte says that “there's this sweet spot that most studies will show it's between nine months to a year where nine months is where it's positive and up to a year. Anything longer than a year tends to be kind of a detrimental effect to women's wages, women's return to work and their career prospects.” It’s not an easy process but it’s necessary for our future as a prospering
with other members in order for successful passage and implementation (Cohen 246). Perhaps a model of using payroll taxes paid for by contributions from workers and employers can fund the paid family leave policy. Such a model is currently being used by California and Europe and is being promoted as national legislation by Senator Bernie Sanders and 18 other Senate Democrats, claiming
Kaufman, Lyonette, and Crompton (2010) explain that in Britain, family leave is short and offers low income replacement; while in the United States, family leave applies to some fathers and is unpaid (p. 322). After researching, Kaufman, Lyonette, and Crompton (2010) find “British fathers benefit from a policy that provided one week paid leave in the recent past and currently offers two weeks (partially) paid leave. American fathers know less about family leave policy, and even for those who are aware of FMLA, they are aware that it is unpaid” (p. 336). Research also showed that British fathers took one week of paid leave. American fathers had to deal with unpaid leave and used vacation days to take time
I am also a woman who in a few years will be in the workforce and will eventually become a mother that is why I am a supporter of paid family leave and believe that it should be available for both mothers and fathers. The support for paid maternity leave is and has been growing over the years, in the U.S advocates are everyday people who are put in the situation of having to deal with and or make a decision between their children and their job. Paid parental leave has been debated over a course of years but the only strive the U.S has taken is protected unpaid family leave which isn’t enough due to the fact that “legislators are not swayed by the empirical evidence alone. We consistently hear that legislators need to hear the voices of their constituents explaining what paid family leave means to them” (Rowe-Finkbeiner et al. para. 21). That is why the United States government should mandate paid parental leave policies for both mothers and fathers in most if not all businesses in all fifty
expensive for working class parents. For parents that are working below the average household income, it would be tougher to pay for full time childcare if the money they are earning is not able to all go to that expense. Unfortunately, not all states in the U.S. provide services that assist families with paying for child care costs. These services are more common in urban areas where there is a higher percentage of low income families.
Paid parental leave should be equal and for both parents once a child is born
America is the one and only developed country that does not offer any paid maternity leave. Maternity leave is a period of absence from work granted to a mother before and after the birth of her child. In America this means twelve weeks of unpaid absence that guarantees her job when she returns. We are so far behind everyone that out of all of the countries around the world seven out of 196 including America do not have mandatory paid maternity leave. (Colorado public radio news) That is a sad figure, to think that we place having a family so high but don’t give the mothers the protection and security they deserve.
Paid maternity leave can be an economic burden for businesses and companies. Another con to executing maternity leave is that more people will take off. The cons for utilizing an all women union is that men will feel discriminated against. Also union dues and fees can be costly and expensive for under paid women in that union. Women of a union can experience less of a partnership with their supervisors. The cons of implementing workshops to assist employers is that some businesses would find it time consuming. They are concerned about productivity levels at work. Business owners may also be concerned about being consulted on their own business practices. Increasing the minimum wage standards would affect women drastically. Women would lose government benefits that they need to support their families. There are more women than men that depend on food stamps, TANF, and WIC from local state and government. The cost of losing benefits would also increase tax liability for people that can mostly afford the
Maternity leave is a time when a woman leaves before her pregnancy and can stay gone from a company anywhere from 4-6 weeks, after the birth of her baby. The promise of holding your job is guaranteed, but on this leave you collect no income. The issues widely debated is whether men should have the option whether to take maternity leave and if maternity leave should be paid. Bonding is crucial to early childhood development for both parents. Introducing a baby into a family’s life, can affect a family financially and physically, due to lack of time with your child.
Throughout a person’s life, there will come a period of time, when an employee will need to take a leave of absence. The Family and Medical Leave Act has helped many people balance their daily living situations with their work life. Many years ago people were unable to keep a career due to everyday life changes. It has taken a very long time to put this Act into place but it has help our countries people in so many ways. The Family and Medical Leave Act is a law providing help for hard working Americans to retain their careers throughout their challenging journey.
For my mid term paper I 'm going to talk about single parent children and how it affect them in all aspects of life and how it forces the child to grow up faster than other children that have 2 parents.